Wellness Core

Wellness Core Senior review

Name: Wellness Core Senior
Brand: Wellness Core

71.4/100Excellent

DryAdultSenior

A grain-free kibble for older dogs that reaches our Excellent band on plain strengths. Turkey opens the label at 28%, with dehydrated chicken close behind, and the joint pair is printed with a dose apiece. The small print, from taurine and L-carnitine to two prebiotics, reads like a label put together with an older dog in mind.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Older dogs feeling their joints. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are each printed at 200 mg/kg
A senior and a younger adult fed from the same bag
Dogs kept off cereal, with peas at 16% and dried potatoes carrying the starch
Turkey eaters: turkey is first at 28%, split between fresh and dehydrated
Owners who like taurine at 1500 mg and L-carnitine at 100 mg spelled out
Houses with dogs of very different sizes, as the feeding guide runs up to 80kg

Worth watching

Chicken fat, chicken gravy and dehydrated chicken sit right behind the turkey, which rules it out for a chicken-sensitive dog
Salmon oil puts fish on the list
Lignocellulose is a purified fibre, a different thing from whole vegetables
No calcium figure on the label, so nothing to read if a growing dog shares the bag

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

71.4/100Excellent

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceExcellent

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults and seniors of every size. Check the label's table against your dog's weight: it asks 150 grams for a 10kg dog and 250 grams for a 20kg one.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Turkey

The score, in context

Wellness Core Senior 71.4

All one Excellent. Typical dry food: Good.

Unglamorous and solid: two named species up top and carbohydrate well below the typical dry food, which is what an older dog's bowl needs.

What's in it

Turkey: fresh turkey, dehydrated turkey28% (16% and 12%)Printing the split is the useful part. Fresh meat loses most of its water in the oven, so the dehydrated share does the heavier lifting.
Chicken: dehydrated chicken, chicken gravy, chicken fat24%Largely dried again, so the named animal content is substantial. Chicken in three forms.
Peas, dried potatoes16% peasThe starch.
Beet pulp4%The fermentable fibre.
Potato proteinA plant protein, so a slice of the 33% protein figure comes from here and not from the birds.
Linseed, salmon oil3% and 1%The omega side, one from a seed and one from a fish.
LignocelluloseA purified plant fibre from agricultural and mill residues. It adds bulk without calories, which suits an older dog on shorter walks.
Carrots, apples, yeast extract, dried chicory root0.5% each for the last twoTwo prebiotics behind the fruit and veg.
Glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate200 mg/kg eachA dose you can judge for yourself.
Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, berries, herbscranberries 0.01%Garnish.

Taurine and L-carnitine for ageing hearts and middles, vitamin E on antioxidant duty, and trace minerals as sulphates, absorbed slightly less readily than chelates.

No calcium figure on the label.

Named ingredients

Turkey 28% (Fresh Turkey 16%, Dehydrated Turkey 12%), Chicken 24% (Dehydrated Chicken 16%, Chicken Gravy 5%, Chicken Fat 3%), Peas 16%, Dried Potatoes, Beet Pulp 4%, Potato Protein, Linseed 3%, Lignocellulose, Salmon Oil 1%, Carrots, Apples, Yeast Extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides) 0.5%, Dried Chicory Root (source of Fructo-oligo-saccharides and Inulin) 0.5%, D-Glucosamine Hydrochloride 200 mg/kg, Chondroitin Sulphate 200 mg/kg, Broccoli, Spinach, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries 0.01%, Dried Peppermint, Yucca Schidigera, Mixed Herbs (Dried Rosemary, Dried Turmeric, Dried Citrus, Dried Eugenia).

Against the range

One grain-free senior recipe built on turkey and chicken, with peas and dried potatoes for the starch. The joint pair, the prebiotics and the heart and waistline extras are all printed with a dose.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

340 kcal/100g

Protein

33%

Fat

11%

Fibre

4.5%

Ash

8.5%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

36.3%

Fat

12.1%

Fibre

4.9%

Ash

9.3%

Carbs

37.4%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

47%

Added water

Carbs

36.5%

Veg

3.8%

Oils

Other

6.7%

Pricing & size